


Operation Nico

by adorkable_laughter



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Theatre, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-03
Updated: 2015-08-03
Packaged: 2018-04-12 17:36:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4488561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adorkable_laughter/pseuds/adorkable_laughter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The only thing about the theatre that Nico di Angelo didn't hate were his friends, the main actors in the upcoming classic on Greek Mythology. And they were trying to convince him to join. Like that was going to happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Operation Nico

** Day 1: Operation Convince the Rock **

Nico hated the theatre.

First, there were the flamboyant costumes with so many colors they all mushed together messily, transforming the stage into a mucky brown swirl of bodies.

The stage always looked just like a toddlers painting. Like, when a toddler was hyped by the freedom of the brush and the paints that they could use to bring their imagination to life, and added every color to the canvas until they all mixed to make brown.

Secondly, there were the actors. The melodramatics. The overly passionate hobbyists that dedicated all their efforts and emotions to fake realities. To fantasies. To surreal worlds and stories that made no sense.

Thirdly, there was the audience. Always ouu-ing and aww-ing at the right moments. All joined together and in perfect sync with everyone in the theatre for that night, like one big happy family gathered together to forget their real lives for the smallest fraction of a day.

And then there were his friends. Percy playing Poseidon, Jason playing Zeus, Annabeth as Athena, and Piper as Aphrodite. And then there was Will Solace, who was Apollo.

Nico was friends with all of them because Percy and Jason’s father’s worked in the school board of Olympus High, their High School, with his father. Their father’s were good friends and would get together outside of work, bringing their children along for play dates since they were born.

He was friends with Annabeth because she was Percy’s girlfriend and Piper because she was Jason’s.

Will was the only exception. He was friends with Will because Will befriended him. Will had become friends with all of Nico’s other friends because they were all part of the theatre group, and that’s how he met Nico, the shy kid who was often alone and cloaked in black. He then made it a goal to become Nico’s best friend. And he became the friend Nico needed because, yes, he had other friends, but Jason had Piper first on his priority list, and the same went for Percy and Annabeth.

The only thing he didn’t hate about the theatre were his friends, who were annoying but they stuck with him, so he couldn’t complain (especially since he knew he could be a pain in the but as well).

And they were trying to convince _him, Nico,_  of all people, to join. Trying to do that was like trying to convince a rock to talk.

“But Nico, you’d be a perfect Hades!” Percy exclaimed.

The play was a classic on Greek mythology, and they were due to perform it in exactly a weeks time. And just when everything was coming together and they had polished the final scenes and transitions and costumes, and it was all _perfect_ , things started falling apart. The evil side of perfection showed itself; the side that doesn’t allow for perfection, that’s just too sneaky and always finds a way to send people spiraling down into the darkest, deepest pit disasters.

Hazel, his step sister, was supposed to be playing Hades. She’d finally gotten her makeup to look right after nights of practicing it. With a jet black wig to cover her thick golden brown curls and some pale foundation to make her tan disappear, she was pretty impressive and godlike.

But then she had to break her leg in practice.

_After much begging and being victim of the cutest ever puppy dog eyes all afternoon, Nico had finally caved. Hazel had been dying to show him the play they’d pieced together, and since he hated crowds and refused to attend the actual show, she wouldn’t take no for an answer when she’d asked him to watch it during practice. It was their second to last run through before the actual show, and Hazel had been squealing and babbling about it constantly for what seemed like all eternity._

_He was half zoned out and half aware of the movements and voices on the stage, seated in an uncomfortable wooden chair, complaining to himself like a terrible brother when there was a loud thump and a high pitched shriek._

_Hazel lay on the ground with Percy hovering a over her worriedly._

_Panic filled his chest and for a moment he thought he’d lost another one of his sisters. He thought he’d let another family member he loved slip out of his fingers while he was too busy selfishly running around in his own head._

_But then she yelled, “I- I think it’s broken. My leg- I think it’s broken!” And then she choked and sobbed hysterically, clutched her knee and looking around with wild eyes, while Percy successively apologized for bumping into the ladder when he’d been stupidly walking backwards._

“I’m not joining your stupid play,” Nico huffed.

Jason, who was walking on Nico’s right side as Percy skipped to his left on their way home from school, suddenly stuck his arm out to block Nico’s way. He spun around to face Nico and bent down so his eyes lined up perfectly with Nico’s, then made a puppy dog face and said, “C'mon, Neeks. Please, for me?”

Since when was everyone aware of his weakness? He just couldn’t resist puppy dog eyes. Especially Percy’s. But then he pictured a theatre hall filled with people, lights blinding his vision, colors swarming around him like annoying buzzing bugs that he couldn’t swat away no matter how hard he tried, and worst of all, laughter suffocating his ears, his mind, his body, as he stumbled over his lines.

“No,” he asserted. “And don’t bother asking again.”

Jason sighed. “I really didn’t want it to come down to this…” he trailed off but before Nico could do more than start forming worries about what Jason was about to do, he yelled, “Piper!”

The girls had been trailing behind them, waiting to see if the boys would succeed. He heard Annabeth mumble, “I knew it.” Then Piper was calling Nico over to have a “friendly little chat”.

~~~

**Day 2: Operation transform Nico into Hades**

Nico wore a  _lot_ of black. But there was a difference between wearing a lot of black because you didn’t want to stand out, and wearing a lot of black because you  _wanted_ to stand out. And the next day as he stood behind heavy black curtains that draped from the high theatre ceiling to the stage in elegant waves, he started getting sick of the color black. It stuck to his limbs from head to toe as he was transformed into the famous greek God, Hades. Staring at the black curtains, he realized his fate, which lay right behind the thick fabric. His costume weighed on his shoulders and pushed him to slump and drag his feet. He didn’t think it was possible for someone to layer themselves in  _so many layers_ of  _so many textures_  of black. It made him nauseous.

In his thin fingers he held a heavy booklet that had been held by Hazel’s hands previously, and it’s weight made him regret his inability to resist Piper’s “friendly chats” that always made him agree to things he ought not to be agreeing to. He’d read over the booklet last night, page after page of robotic lines, and it had taken him two whole hours of whacking his forehead and scrambling to understand what most of it meant.

The play was written by their High School’s drama teacher, who _loved_ Shakespearean plays and the Elizabethan style, which to Nico was like a million intricate puzzle pieces that didn’t fit together.

His school specialized in the arts: musical arts, theater arts, and fine arts. He didn’t fit completely into any of those categories. He wasn’t the only one like that, though. Their school took any students that were zoned for it or that had passed the entrance exam, but most students who applied did so because they were artistic. Nico did so because his father was part of the school board (along with most of his friends parents) and he lived close by. He wasn’t half bad at drawing, but he wasn’t an aspiring artist who dedicated themselves to it like most of the students studying fine arts.

So he was stuck in between. Floating between groups; going wherever he was needed. Sometimes he’d work behind the scenes for the many shows their school put on, but he never imagined that he’d end up in one of the shows.

It still hadn’t hit him completely.

“Nico!” Percy was standing mid stage, waving his arm frantically. “Nico! You’re up.”

That woke him up. He looked down at the script which had a picture of the Greek Gods assembled together, weapons in hand. He started flipping pages and scrambling his brain for where they were, but it seemed hopeless. He should’ve highlighted his lines, that would’ve made finding his first line loads easier.

“Page 7,” Percy whisper yelled, with his hands around his mouth. “We’re on page 7. You’re the third line.”

Nico flipped seven pages then ran up to Percy, whispering _“Thanks”_ as he went.

He started reading his line but heard a few giggles from behind him. He ignored them, annoyed but not surprised. They got louder and louder until Percy ripped the script out of his hands with a laugh.

“Nico, I didn’t mean the 7th page in the booklet. I meant page 7 in the script, as in the number at the top right corner.” Percy whacked Nico’s head and smiled. “And people call  _me_ seaweed brain.” He pointed at himself, making a flabbergasted expression.

“Oh.” Nico covered his face with his hands, beyond embarrassed, and groaned. His brain was fried because of the nerves.

“That was one of my lines,” Jason said from the back. “From when Poseidon took me on a boat ride because he refused to fly.” He laughed. “Percy, as Poseidon, just greeted you and asked you how you’ve been. And you started talking about how you never want to smell seawater again.” He was bent over, clutching his stomach. “It was so funny. How did you not realize?”

“Enough!” Piper said from beside him, while smacking his head lightly. “Give him a break. It’s his first day and he probably can’t think straight.”

“I agree,” said Annabeth, approaching Percy and him with two bottles of water. “He’s obviously nervous and I doubt he was even aware of the words coming out of his mouth.”

She handed him the water with a smile.

“It’s tough, the first day,” Will added. “ I remember when I auditioned for my first play in grade 7, and it was a rendition of Beauty and the Beast. I planned to audition for the beast.” He shook his head with a smile. “But as soon as I stepped in front of the teachers, I couldn’t get words out of my mouth. I didn’t try out for another play until grade 8.” He smiled at Nico. “And then I did great, just like you will if you keep trying.” Will started walking towards him, along with the rest of his friends.

They surrounded him in a protective looking circle. He started to wonder when he’d ended up with so many good friends. He just hadn’t realized it until then.

“Thanks,” Nico said quietly. He opened the water bottle and downed half of it in seconds.

“Are you okay to try again?” Piper asked.

Nico thought about saying no. He thought about running away and quitting and never again putting himself in an uncomfortable situation. But then Will came and stood right in front of him, looking deep into his eyes, and put a hand on each of his shoulders. They both smiled, then Jason swooped in and tackled him into a hug.

“C'mon guys, you’re all acting as if I’ve just been asked to save the world from an army of zombies.” Nico waved them off. “Besides, it wasn’t even my mess up. It was Percy being a dumbass again.”

“What?” Percy exclaimed. “I was just helping you out!” He threw his arms up in surrender. “And you were the one spaced out and unaware of where we were in the script.”

“Well… whatever.” Nico had no arguments at hand. “Let’s just try again.”

Percy huffed and mumbled, “And I’m the one with a brain clogged with seaweed?”

Annabeth whacked his arm. “Percy! Quit acting like a 3 year old!”

Nico laughed, feeling much better, and even a bit hopeful.

~~~

**Day 3: Operation Spot the Earthquake of Emotions**

Nico was settled on a bench just off the stage, silently watching the rest of practice, relieved that all of his parts were over.

Will was currently sighting his monologue, while prancing back and forth on stage and making sincere gestures and expressions to make it all seem so real. He was really beautiful when he came to life on stage like that.

Nico hadn’t realised that Piper had come to sit next to him, so when she spoke he jumped, and not only because of what she said, which was, “Will really is beautiful on stage, huh?”

Could she read minds too? Oh no.

He must have been looking at her like she’d just turned into a flesh eating zombie because immediately her face turned soft and she added, “Anyone with eyes could see it.” She laughed.

Nico relaxed back into the wooden bench.

“Will’s actually really shy, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. But he loves to put on a show, even when he’s not on stage…”

“That’s for sure. But, don’t we all?”

“I suppose.”

“It’s like we’re all so dead set on putting makeup and costumes on just to go outside of our house. Like the only real place where we’re not acting is when we’re alone.”

“Yeah…”

“Hey, Nico?”

“Yeah?”

“I like you better without a mask on.”

“What?”

“It’s just, I can see through it. I can see through most people’s. And you’re really beautiful, just like Will is, when you take off that mask.”

“What are you talking about, Piper?”

“Look at Will right now. Look at him the way you were before we starting talking.”

“Um…”

“Just do it.”

“Okay…”

Nico turned around to face the stage again and channeled his hearing to the words coming out of Will’s mouth. He felt his facial expressions change immediately, he couldn’t help it when he was watching Will. Will frowned when the words, _“Sometime’s I don’t know if I’m cut out to be a god”_  came out of his mouth. He sounded so distraught.

“Most people in the theatre are in it to put on a mask. It’s relieving for them to take off their own mask and replace it with another for awhile.”

Nico just listened. Listened to her and to Will’s voice in the background, which soothed him.

“Will’s different, though.” She paused. “Do you know why?”

Nico thought for a moment. Everything about Will was different, special. But he didn’t think that’s what Piper meant. He shook his head.

“Will’s not in the theatre to put on a different mask for awhile. He’s in it to not have to wear any masks at all.”

This was getting confusing. Nico looked up at her, his eyebrows scrunched together.

“My point is, he’s not acting. He feels every word. He finds a way to relate to every word. To him, it’s all true, it’s not fiction. The theater is where he feels he can express his emotions without a barrier, and without being embarrassed or laughed at.”

“Oh.”

“He didn’t use to be able to do that, though. He used to be more disconnected. But I think he learned how to block out everyone else and get lost in his words.”

Nico looked back at Will, wondering if it was true. If he actually felt all these emotions. If he had all these complicated sides to him. If he was actually that deep and that damaged and that knowledgeable. Will was quite a piece of art, so it must be true.

_“Sometimes I don’t know if I’m cut out to be a god,”_  Nico remembered Will saying. What did he mean when he said that?

“It really is beautiful to see him up there.” She smiled.

“Yeah.” Nico smiled too. “Yeah, it is.”

“Hey, Nico?”

“Hm?”

“Can I ask you one last thing and can you promise to just take off your mask for a minute, just a minute, to answer me honestly.”

“Uh… sure?” He didn’t sound very sure.

“Promise?”

“I guess…”

“Okay…” She sighed. “Do you like Will?”

He spun his head to look at her, shocked. Did he like Will? What did she mean by that? By ‘like’, did she mean admire? Or like him as a person? Or as a friend? Because those were all obvious yes’s. Or did she mean more? No, that can’t be. She couldn’t possibly know.

“Of course I like him,” he replied with a breeze.

“Yeah, that’s obvious. But do you  _like_ like him?” She looked in his eyes, unblinking and completely serious.

He opened his mouth. Then shut it. Then opened it. Then shut it. Then frowned. Then opened it again. This continued for awhile, and he started wondering if he was glitching like a robot low on battery.

Piper just kept watching him patiently, expectantly. Which was really annoying because he knew it was another one of her mind tricks.

Eventually, and cautiously, he said, “What do you mean, exactly?”

“You know. Do you like Will as more than a friend?”

She smiled slightly. She kind of looked like a puppy, a  _too innocent_ one.

“Um…”

She smiled wider. “Is that your answer?”

“Huh?”

She pat his head. “You hesitated. I’ll take that as a yes. Not that I even had to ask.” She stood up. “I’m glad we could have this talk, Nico.”

He stared at her wide-eyed as she turned around to walk away.

As his eyebrows scrunched together and he started to play their conversation over again in his head, she turned back around to add, “I”m also glad you’re not as blind as I thought you might be. I think you’ve finally spotted the earthquake. I think you’re starting to understand all those earth-shaking emotions. And trust me, Will is too. And it’s a good thing, you know. I think you two are perfect for each other.” Then she winked and walked away.

Uh… _what just happened?_

~~~

**Day 4: Operation Melt the Glacier**

Once his disastrous scene finished, he stumbled off stage and fell to the floor in his favorite corner, between the rack of costumes and the door with a giant EXIT sign, where the thick fabric of the costumes provided a shield and a sense of security, and the door an escape. It hit him like a pile of bricks, he was going to be standing in front of hundreds of people in three days, and even in front of just the theatre crew he kept messing up. He just didn’t fit in these kinds of things. He just couldn’t do it, he couldn’t do anything properly while others were watching him. It made his skin crawl with nerves and made his limbs feel wrong, bent at odd angles and like they didn’t belong to him. He was just too awkward.

His heartbeat quickened and his breaths came in short, panicky heaves and he just couldn’t handle this anymore. He stood up abruptly, still in his black robe, and gave himself a pat on the back for the hiding spot he’d chosen when he was able to escape within seconds.

The cold air smacked him in the face and he breathed it in slowly. The cold was relieving. It pushed his worries away. Or rather, it froze them in place so he could come back and visit them later. There were so many nerves it felt like he’d formed a whole glacier and he just wanted to get as far from it as possible. He was only standing there for seconds when he heard the scraping of the metal door as it unhinged and burst open.

Jumping around, he was met with blue the opposite of ice. Blue like the ocean gleaming in the sun on a hot summer afternoon. Warmth and… worry? He looked at the face of Will Solace, then behind at the hectic happenings of behind the scenes and he felt an overwhelming sense of repulsion; a need to get away, anywhere but back inside the theatre that was so large and full of craziness that was bound to eventually swallow him whole. Away from his fate, from the reality that three days would force him to face.

And his body twisted and his legs forced it off the ground again and again as he ran. The world a blur and his body numb, he just kept moving. He kept running even as he heard footsteps behind him, and as he heard his name being shouted. He ran as the melodic voice of Will begged for him to stop, to calm down so they could talk.

He ran until he crashed into a fence and fell back onto the cement painfully.

Soon there were two hands gripping his forearms and pulling him away from the icy cement.

He slumped into the warm body supporting his weight and finally gave into his emotions. Salty tears streamed down his cheeks to his mouth, which was letting out short, scared breaths of air. His throat felt clogged up, blocking the oxygen from flowing smoothly into his lungs. His body was aching and covered in a thin sheet of sweat, his hair was sticking out abnormally, his whole body was a mess, but his mind won the award for the biggest mess of all.

Poisoned thoughts picked at his brain like a million piercing needles.

“I- I can’t do it, Will.” He was shaking. “I just can’t.”

When Will didn’t respond, Nico glanced up to his face. Will’s eyes were watery and it looked like he was going to cry. Nico immediately jumped out of his embrace. “What- what did I do? What’s wrong?” he yelped out.

Will took a few breaths. “I hate seeing people cry, especially you. I hate to see you like this, Nico.” He clenched his eyes shut. “And I feel like it’s all my fault.”

_“What?”_  Why would it be his fault? Nico was confused.

“It’s just- I dunno, like, I’m your best friend, or at least I think I am, and I knew you didn’t like this sort of thing. I knew you’d hate the theatre. I knew.” He looked so angry at himself. “I knew and I still tried to convince you to join and I let Piper do all her creepy mind tricks on you and I just kept keeping silent while this whole mess got bigger.” He sighed. “I just- I dunno.”

“Will?” He didn’t like seeing Will like this, either.

“I just can’t do anything right, especially when it comes to you.” He was clenching and unclenching his fists.

“Look at me, Will. Are you  _serious_?”

Now Will looked confused.

“It’s not like you signed me up for this without my permission or anything. Don’t blame yourself for  _my_ actions. You know I chose to do this, right?”

“Yeah, but-”

“No buts. I’m the one who agreed to it. I don’t let other people make my decisions for me, Will.”

“I know that…”

“Then stop pulling all this self deprecating crap.”

“I feel like our roles are reversed right now.” He sighed. “I should be the one comforting you…”

“This probably worked better than your silly  _‘the sun shines on everyone’_  advice ever would, to be honest.” He chuckled. “You got me so worked up I completely forgot about everything else.”

“What? My advice isn’t silly!”

Nico laughed again. “It kinda is. I mean who would believe all that cliche hallmark-card-like stuff.”

“I thought you did…”

“Don’t worry, Will. It’s not about you giving good advice, it’s about you being there to give advice. And somehow you always manage to show me what I need to see.”

“Oh.”

“Thanks for being here…”

“Oh my god, Nico. Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah…”

Will was staring at him like he’d grown a second head. He stared back.

“What’s with all this touchy feely stuff all of the sudden?”

Nico frowned. “Oh no. I think the theater is turning me into a sap.”

Will laughed. “I kinda like it.”

Nico punched his shoulder lightly. “Shut up.”

“Okay. How about we take a walk before going back in.”

Nico nodded. “Sounds good.”

He looked up at Will’s smile and wondered if that was a ‘mask’ as Piper would say. Then he wondered if he was wearing a ‘mask’ looking at Will right now. It didn’t feel like it. But how was he to know? He wasn’t the expert.

When Will threw his arm around Nico’s shoulders and started guiding him away from the school and towards the nearby park, Nico thought about what Piper had said about the two of them. He felt his face heat up, but when he looked up at Will he found a solid answer to her question: yes.

When Nico walked back in the theatre later with Will at his side, Will’s arm still slung over his shoulders, he didn’t feel as if there was such a huge glacier weighing him down anymore. He felt warmer. Especially when Piper gave him a knowing look and his face heated up to what felt like its boiling point.

~~~

**Day 5: Operation Make Friends with the Stage**

It was just past 9 pm when practice ended and Nico was absolutely  _exhausted_. The rest of the crew had spent months perfecting their performance and memorizing their lines, but Nico only had days. And he wasn’t going to quit and let his friends down now. He kind of felt like the whole play was riding on him at this point. The rest of the actors were solid, they’d done all their work and they were sure to perform up to par. But he had one of the main characters and he was still pretty rocky.

As people buzzed around putting away equipment and chatting away before going home, Nico stayed on the stage, sitting on the edge with his feet dangling. People slowly started leaving in groups, and eventually it was completely silent.

He sighed, relieved. Then he let himself fall back onto the stiff stage and extended his arms so that he looked kind of like a starfish.

He took long, deep breaths and tried to get comfortable with the idea of this _thing_ he was lying on top of. He hate the word stage, it felt too grand and too menacing. With a  _stage_ came a performance and an audience, and he just didn’t want to think about that. He didn’t want to make it real in his head. He wanted to pretend he was actually lying in bed, on the soft black sheets, watching TV or reading or even studying. Anything but this, anywhere but here.

He pictured himself lying in the snow in the winter with Bianca by his side before she passed away. He looked to the side and he could almost see her laughing, her eyes twinkling.

He closed his eyes and started moving his arms and legs like he was making a snow angel. He felt himself escaping into his imagination when-

“What-” Laughing. It sounded like Will but Nico hoped it was his mind playing tricks on him. “What are you doing, Nico?”

Nico jumped up and spun around. It was Will. Great.

“Oh my god, what were you  _doing_?” He sounded so incredulous it made Nico want to melt into a puddle of dread and drip into a sewer and live there for the rest of his life, forever regretting this moment.

“Um… wishing the word ‘stage’ didn’t exist?”

“Then why were you, I don’t even know. Hugging it? Rubbing it? I don’t even know.”

“Geez, I was making a snow angel!”

“What? There’s no snow!”

“So?” He was getting defensive. Will noticed.

“Can I join you, then?”

“Uh…”

Will didn’t wait for an answer, he came and lied down beside Nico, mimicking the motions Nico was making previously.

After a few moments of Nico just watching him, Will said, “So, what are you doing here so late?”

“I dunno. Trying to accept it all. Trying to take everything in.”

Will nodded.

They lied in silence for awhile, leaving each other alone with their own thought and emotions.

Will broke the silence. “You were trying to imagine the stage was snow, weren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“You know, the stage isn’t really all that scary when you stop thinking of it as an almighty  _stage_ and start treating it a what it is, just another floor that’s been walked on a million times by a million different people. Some of them like you, terrified of the floor beneath their feet.”

Nico tilted his head so he could see the floor of the stage. He pictured a small boy like him, years in the past, lying right in this sport making snow angels. He laughed. “I don’t think there’s ever been anyone quite like me before, making snow angels on a  _stage_.”

Will laughed, too. “No, there definitely hasn’t been anyone quite like you before, Nico. But there has certainly been people who were conflicted by this stage. And who knows, maybe they lied down on it too and imagined it was a beach and pretended to swim. We’re all so different at the same time as we’re so alike.”

“Maybe…”

“I used to pretend I was in my bedroom, reciting my lines to my  _Super Mario Bros_ poster.”

Nico looked over at him dubiously.

“I still do, actually. Sometimes. Other times I picture myself taking to my parents, or to you.”

Nico’s eyes widened. “Me?”

“Yeah, believe it or not, you’re really easy to talk to, Nico. And I like talking to you, you’re actually kind of fun to be around.”

“You mean Nico, like, me?”

“Yeah silly!”

“Well, you’re not so bad yourself…” Nico looked away, embarrassed.

Will whacked his arm. “Don’t get all touchy feely on me again. I like you fine just the way you are.” He smiled as Nico turned back around to look at him. “But… thanks, Nico. It means a lot.”

Nico nodded.

Will sat up and ran a hand through his blond curls.

“Just think of it as your friend, the stage. Not your enemy, It’s not gonna bare fangs and eat you, you know. If anything, it’ll grow fur to cushion your fall.”

“My fall?”

“Which won’t happen because you absolutely will not fall!” Will added in a rush. “And I’ll be there to catch you if you do, so it won’t even have to grow fur.”

“Whatever you say, Romeo.”

~~~

**Day 6: Operation Stop Fleeing From the Earthquake**

The next day, Nico payed closer attention to Will as he performed in their final practice session.

He wondered if Will was imagining him standing there, and if Will was talking to him alone within the entire crew. That made him feel warm inside.

Will must have noticed how closely Nico was watching him because everytime he turned around to face away from the rows and rows of seats, he would catch Nico’s eyes and keep them locked there until he turned back around.

It made Nico feel special, and maybe he was.

When Will winked at him during his love confession scene as Apollo, Nico just smiled. He didn’t run. Though his face did heat up quite a bit and he felt like he should run and get an ice pack to cool it down.

When it was Nico’s turn to perform, he decided to use Will as his anchor, so he pretending they were back sitting on the swings in the park behind the school, talking about random things. Everytime he looked at Will, who was watching him just like he’d watched Will, he felt a surge of confidence. It was only Will he was speaking to, he didn’t have to be afraid where Will was concerned. So he spilled all his emotions to Will, and even though it was as Hades, he still felt lighter than ever.

Later, when they were both off stage, Nico spotted Will settled on the bench he’d been on when Piper had talked to him the other day. He decided to go sit beside him, and when Will scooched closer to him right away (a little too close), he didn’t move away. He didn’t even flinch when he felt Will’s breath on his ear and heard him whisper a barely audible, “You’re amazing, Nico.” Instead, he turned his head so their noses were touching. “All because of you, Will,” he whispered back, even quieter.

~~~

**Day 7: Operation Obliterate Obstacles**

Nico had hated the theatre.

But then the world decided to alter his fate, all within seven short days.

He was the last domino, the tip of an intricate pattern made of millions of identical dominoes, and he had to watch as every domino tipped and hit the next. Then the one before him was getting larger and larger until he felt it crash into him. He was the last the hit the ground. The end of the domino effect.

He was the last straw in the haystack.

He was the final blow before the victim crumbled to the ground, unconscious and beaten to bits.

He was the last chance, the last resort, after a play slowly started falling apart.

He was a replacement. He was taking the spot of an actor with a broken leg.

But he was a good replacement. He was the savior of a play that’d been thrown into a dark and dirty ditch. He was the blow that finally allowed an escape for the victim, who lay unconscious and free of pain. He was the lightest straw in the haystack, and after him, all the work was done and it was time to relax. He was at the most exciting part of the domino effect, as he fell, cheers erupted because the effect had made it all the way around.

He was a lot of lasts and few firsts. But being a late bloomer doesn’t mean he’d never bloom. Being at the end of the line didn’t mean he’d never get his chance for victory.

He hated the theater, yes, but that was before the domino effect had finished. That was when it would always fail, and his domino would never get knocked over.

Once he gave it a chance, even though it was as a last resort, he realized when last resorts had their time of victory, it was the most powerful victory ever. When the last domino finally had its turn to fall, it was the most powerful effect. It meant more. It meant the most difficult job was finally completed, and completed well. It meant relief that everything had worked out. It meant happiness and sadness that it was over.

It meant that things don’t always go according to plan, but those are the best kinds of things.

It meant change can be change for the better.

It meant that Nico di Angelo was capable of succeeding on stage.

It meant he was capable of loving. He was capable of loving the theatre. He was capable of loving a boy.

_He was capable of loving a boy in the theatre._

He smiled genuinely as the entire theatre crew enveloped him a huge bear hug. It felt squishy and suffocating. Too many of his limbs were touching too many of other people’s limbs and they were sticky with sweat. It smelt gross. But if felt safe, and warm. Will pushed through to the middle and wrapped both of his arms around Nico’s neck, resting them on his shoulder’s.

“Guys, he doesn’t like human contact!” Will exclaimed.

The he pushed through the block of bodies backwards, pulling Nico by the neck in front of him, acting as his shield. When they escaped, Nico said, “Will, you didn’t have to do that…”

“No, I didn’t. But I wanted to!” He squeezed Nico tighter. “I wanted to hug you all by myself.”

When Will let go he said, “Good job, Nico.”

“Thanks,” Nico replied with a smile.

He looked into Will’s crystal blue eyes. He didn’t see any more obstacles in his way, so he leaned in.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, I can’t believe I got this done. Honestly, in spirit of solangelo weekend, I was scrolling through fics that I’d written ages ago but had never posted, fics that were left unfinished in my drafts, and I stumbled upon this one. I had already written Days 1, 2, and 7, but had never filled in the gaps. And this evening I started filling in those holes and I ended up writing up ‘till midnight to finish it this weekend (I can't stop yawning rn and my brain feels really heavy it's so weird) and I’d say that I was pretty successful considering it’s 6000 words long. Anyway, I hope it’s good and not all over the place, especially since I’m half asleep writing this aha :D 
> 
> It was cool to go see how different my writing was just months ago, and I had to make all sorts of changes to the parts that I'd already written 'cause honestly, they were pretty sucky ;D
> 
> Tell me what you think because I honestly have no idea, and unlike Piper, I can't read minds!
> 
> Happy end to solangelo weekend!
> 
> Goodnight *yawn*


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